Looking for fine Indian fare in Ann Arbor, I sought out the Raja Rani. Raja Rani had a fine reputation for its food but I hadn’t been there in several years. I entered the restaurant and waited in their waiting room for someone to seat us. On the walls in the waiting room were posted Best of Ann Arbor awards from various publications. I noted that their last such award was in 2003. I wondered to myself where their awards for subsequent years had gone. As our wait to be seated began to border on 15 minutes despite open tables aplenty, I began to find out.

We finally sat ourselves much to the waitstaff’s consternation. They promptly ignored us for another 5 minutes. They insisted that we order the buffet as their kitchen was closing soon. That’s funny - the sign said open until 10:30 and it was only 9. After going back and forth with the waitstaff several times, they finally relinquished menus to us yet still insisted that we order the buffet. Perhaps we weren’t interested in having their watered down, picked through buffet (which is exactly what it was). As they made it clear that we didn’t have any choice, we reluctantly went with the buffet and found it very uninspired.

After we concluded our “meal” it was approaching 9:50 p.m. Despite their sign indicating a 10:30 closure, they began shutting off the lights. We left with the thought that the Raja Rani was definitely no longer the star it once was and its staff’s premature closure may only foretell a permanent one in the near future.

[where: 400 S. DIVISION
ANN ARBOR, MI 48014]

(734) 995-1545

Popularity: 16% [?]

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